Iraqi army: border with Syria will open within days

Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Othman Al-Ghanmi announced on Wednesday the opening of the border crossing with Syria in the coming days after a joint meeting with Syrian Defense Minister General Abdullah Ayoub and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqari.

"In the coming days, we will witness the opening of the border post between Syria and Iraq," Al-Ghanmi said at a press conference, and the resumption of visits and trade between the two countries.

He stressed that there is great coordination between the forces of his country and its Syrian counterpart in the fight against the state organization, pointing out that Iraq continues to direct strikes to the organization's sites in the depth of Syria in coordination with the Syrian authorities.

He said Syria's security and Iraq's security is not inseparable. Syria is a depth of Iraq, Iraq is a depth of Syria, and coordination will continue through the information center that has been formed.

The border between Syria and Iraq stretches over 615 kilometers. The countries are linked to three official crossings with different names on the two sides, the one from the Iraqi side, which is matched by al-Bu Kamal on the Syrian side and the newborn by Iraq. The border is opposite the Syrian side and the Rabia crossing on the Iraqi side , Offset by the Yara in Syria.

The three crossings were closed after the state controlled the northern and western regions of Iraq between 2014 and 2017.

For his part, the Syrian minister said that his country's forces are working to recover the remaining lands outside the control of the state, pointing out that the foreign forces without the permission of Damascus are occupied.

As for Syria's democratic forces supported by America, he said that it will be dealt with by the two methods adopted by the Syrian state: national reconciliation or the liberation of the territories they control by force.

The chief of staff of the Iranian army, Mohammad Baqari, demanded the departure of foreign forces, headed by the US, as long as they exist without the consent of Damascus.